DWP May payments 2023: dates to expect Universal Credit and other benefits over spring bank holiday

Thousands of Universal Credit and other benefits claimants will get paid early this week due to the May bank holiday.

Monday 29 May will mark the third bank holiday this month and will mean benefits payments will once again be paid on a different day than usual to compensate for the closure of banks.

It follows a bank holiday on 1 May to commemorate May Day, followed by an additional day off on 8 May in celebration of King Charles’ coronation, which took place at Westminster Abbey in London and was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The slightly earlier than normal payment days can come as a welcome boost, but it also means claimants have a longer wait until the next instalment which can impact budgeting for the month.

When will benefits be paid in May?

The government has confirmed that benefits payments due to be paid on Monday 29 May will be paid one working day earlier due to the bank holiday. It means that claimants can instead expect payments to arrive on Friday 26 May.

The earlier payment date will affect anyone who claims the following benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP):

• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits
• Child Benefit
• Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
• Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
• Jobseeker’s Allowance (Jsa)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Attendance Allowance 
• Pension Credits

Claimants do not need to do anything to receive the money as it will be paid into accounts as normal. The amount you are paid will also remain the same. Anyone who does not receive their benefit payment one working day before the bank holiday should contact DWP directly.

Benefits issued by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customers (HMRC) will also be paid earlier on 26 May, including the following:

• Working Tax Credits
• Child Tax Credits
• Child Benefit
• Guardian’s Allowance

When are the next bank holidays and benefits payment dates?

There are still several more bank holidays to come this year, with the next one due on Monday 28 August.

Upcoming bank holidays - and benefits payments for these dates - in England and Wales include:

• Monday 29 May – Spring bank holiday - payments due by 26 May
• Monday 28 August – Summer bank holiday - payments due by 26 May
• Monday 25 December – Christmas Day - payments due between 25 and 27 December due by 22 December
• Tuesday 26 December – Boxing Day - payments due between 25 and 27 December due by 22 December

Bank holidays in Scotland fall on the same days apart from the August bank holiday which falls on Monday 7 August. Scots also get a bank holiday for St Andrew’s Day on 30 November.

In Northern Ireland, the August bank holiday falls on the same day as England and Wales. There is also an annual bank holiday to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day), which falls on Wednesday 12 July this year.